Click here to follow Ben Hudd (@benonsport) on Twitter. Click here for more coverage of the Premier League Darts.
An aura of invincibility has been reinstalled for Michael van Gerwen in recent weeks. The former world number one will be vying to compete a tremendous treble at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena to extend his lead at the top of the Premier League table.
The world’s top two players in Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price return to the oche in the midst of injury concerns, with neither expected to challenge for the weekly honours as the Premier League roadshow takes to Nottingham.
Four players in James Wade, Joe Cullen, Michael Smith and Gary Anderson will be attempting to seal a weekly success for the first time. Three of them have reached finals, whereas the struggling Anderson sits rock bottom after a disappointing early season.
Michael Smith vs James Wade
Michael Smith came out fighting last week in Brighton despite it coming only days after enduring defeat in his seventh consecutive major final at the hands of Danny Noppert at the UK Open, reaching the weekly final and only being denied by the in-form Michael van Gerwen.
His performances were lesser ones than in previous weeks, with averages of around 90 enough to overcome the below-par Gary Anderson and Jonny Clayton, before ‘Bully Boy’ upped the ante significantly in a narrow loss to Van Gerwen in a match where both exceeded the 100 mark in terms of their averages.
James Wade, meanwhile, has compiled more 140-plus scores throughout this year’s tournament than any other player, although the multiple-time major champion has the third-lowest doubling efficiency thus far. An uncharacteristic statistic for somebody so renowned for his proficiency on the outer ring.
Smith’s consistency has diminished since his Minehead run, with two scrappy displays seeing him through last week and a 108 average sandwiched between averages of 93 and 86 at the weekend’s German Darts Championship. Wade will seek to exploit that.
Prediction: 6-5 Smith
Gerwyn Price vs Michael van Gerwen
It was three weeks ago when Gerwyn Price landed two nine-darters and produced a blistering Belfast display to take the weekly honours for the first time. Price achieved the holy grail in his win over Michael van Gerwen in that night’s semi-finals, although plenty has changed since then.
Price is no longer the world number one, having been overtaken by reigning world champion Peter Wright, and the Welshman has developed a hand injury in recent times, withdrawing from last week’s night in Brighton and subsequently the German Darts Championship also.
Having spent the past week or so in Tenerife with his wife and two daughters, the current extent of his injury woes are unknown. Price will be on the back burner throughout against a firing world number three, who has managed to regain his winning mentality with back-to-back weekly honours and glory in Germany.
Price deserves tremendous respect for opting against taking a second week off and instead battling through the pain barrier. Even at full fitness, the former world champion would have his work cut out against a mentally-strong Van Gerwen.
Prediction: 6-2 Van Gerwen
Gary Anderson vs Jonny Clayton
There were plenty of critics when Gary Anderson was named in the Premier League line-up despite experiencing an underwhelming previous season. Some claimed the Scotsman was undeserving of a place in the extravaganza following one of his worst years in professional darts.
Anderson managed only ten wins in front of the televised cameras last year heading into the World Championship, with five of those coming in the Premier League. That has continued into 2022 thus far, with early exits at both the Masters and the UK Open as well as only a solitary Premier League victory.
Everybody knows what Anderson is capable of and that there will be a week where the two-time world champion performs near the peak of his powers. Nevertheless, predicting when that will come is nigh on impossible and Jonny Clayton will have other ideas.
Reigning champion Clayton has spoken outwardly on becoming ‘the hunted’ instead of ‘the hunter’. The Welshman revealed that he has struggled in adapting to last year’s success, with his form dipping somewhat in recent weeks after winning the second evening in Liverpool.
Prediction: 6-4 Anderson
Peter Wright vs Joe Cullen
In a similar situation to the man he has replaced as the world number one, Peter Wright is currently experiencing a period of injury struggles. The Scotsman has received treatment for a back problem since withdrawing from the German Darts Championship quarter-finals, since being deemed fit to compete.
Two-time world champion Wright sealed the first weekly honours last month, and has impressed since then despite not managing to secure a second success, reaching the final two weeks ago only to be whitewashed by a rampant Van Gerwen.
Masters champion Joe Cullen produced an uninspiring display in defeat against Wright at the UK Open almost two weeks ago, with the world number eleven having been unable to maintain the early season form that witnessed him pick up his maiden televised title and back-to-back PDC ProTour events.
His head-to-head against the reigning World Matchplay champion makes for disheartening reading also, with Cullen having lost all seven of their televised meetings. Now could be an ideal time for him to scupper that unwanted record against an injury-stricken opponent.
Prediction: 6-4 Cullen
Who wins the weekly honours?
Peter Wright, Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price all tasted success during the opening three weeks of this year’s revamped Premier League, but since then Michael van Gerwen has sparked back into form and began to dominate like he has done so often in his career.
With the five-time champion facing an injury-affected Price in his opener and bearing in mind the way the draw plays out, it’s difficult to see the Dutchman not reigning victorious once more.
Whilst Michael Smith has the capability of overcoming him in the semi-finals, should he perform as well as he did in last week’s final, the former world number one should see himself in a probable final against reigning champion Clayton.
Prediction: Michael van Gerwen
